The NFL is testing its limits with new Netflix deal

The NFL officially announced their partnership with Netflix, which will carry the league's two Christmas Day games this season. Netflix will also stream one Christmas game in 2025 and 2026, as part of a three-season deal.

As the NFL adds another streaming service to their lineup, one has to ponder, when will enough be enough?

The NFL is the undisputed king of the North American sports world, but they might be testing those limits.

Remember when Mark Cuban said back in 2014 that the NFL would implode in 10 years? Well, it has now been 10 years. And while the NFL is not imploding, could this be the start of some sort of downfall?

Cuban is a millionaire who has been a successful investor. In order to be such a successful investor, one must possess exceptional foresight. So while the NFL might feel untouchable, it could be in their best interest to actually heed the warning.

Speaking of investments, the NFL is now asking for quite a big one from all of its fans.

Let's add up the monthly subscription prices for all of the different services now carrying NFL games:

• YouTube TV: $72.99
• Prime Video: $8.99
• Peacock: (soon to be) $7.99
• ESPN+: $10.99
• Netflix: $6.99

Total: $107.95 per month

With the NFL season extending to five months, that would put the total at $539.75. NFL Sunday Ticket would then be an additional $349 on top of those streaming services. 

In order to watch your favorite NFL team play out of the market, you're shelling out nearly $900, just to watch the games from your couch. 

Not to mention the NFL's expanded International schedule.

In 2023, the league took Tyreek Hill's highly-anticipated return to Kansas City and shipped it to Germany. They took away home games from Buffalo and Kansas City, two of the most ardent fanbases in the league, including a Trevor Lawrence vs. Josh Allen matchup.

In 2024, we have a Week 1 game in Brazil. The Bears, despite finally having a star quarterback, lose one of their precious home games to London. Aaron Rodgers return to his former rival, the Minnesota Vikings, is outsourced to London, as well. There will now be a Friday game, a Wednesday doubleheader for the first time since 1936, and even a game matched up against the college football playoff. 

The great benefit of the NFL is its exclusivity. Everything is more valuable when there is less of it.

The NFL, for many years, only having 16 games and playing on just two nights of the week was special. It was far less of an investment than, say, following all 162 games of your favorite baseball team during the best time of the year to be outdoors. 

But now, the NFL is looking to add an 18th regular-season game, and eventually even more beyond that.

The NFL will now play on six different days of the week this season, after years of already taking up your Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve holidays. The aforementioned International games typically kick off at 6:30 a.m. for the fans on the West Coast.

It's becoming a much bigger time commitment, let alone the nearly $1,000 you need to fork over just to be able to watch these games.  

In the 2005 sports comedy film, "Fever Pitch", Jimmy Fallon's Red Sox-obsessed character is asked, "You love the Sox, but have they ever loved you back?"

As the NFL continues to demand more nights and money from you and take away your team's home games for apathetic countries, is it time to ask the same question? Is this, too, turning into an abusive relationship? 

If ego is the downfall of empires, then the NFL should take warning.